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How Patriots Day Began for Boston

About this time of day in 1775 Paul Revere & William Dawes, along with other messengers, began to prepare to ride the roads out of Boston with a warning.

This song is to commemorate that event.

“We had been hopelessly labouring to plough waste lands; to make nationality grow in a place full of the certainty of God… Among the tribes our creed could be only like the desert grass – a beautiful swift seeming of spring; which, after a day’s heat, fell dusty.”
― T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph

I send this as a satirical news article every now and then, still gets people's attention:

"Boston - National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently
banned assault weapons were ambushed by elements of a Para-military
extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72
were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were
compelled to withdraw.

Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that
the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the
radical right-wing tax protest movement.

Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed
against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's
organizers as "criminals," issued an executive order authorizing the summary
arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to
secure law and order.

The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed wide-spread refusal by
the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons.

Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons and ammunition earlier
in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between
government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the
forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out
that "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed
the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily."

Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of
outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms
and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily-armed
extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans.

During a tense standoff in the Lexington town park, National Guard Colonel
Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed
group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a
single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists.

Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange.

Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the
extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed
citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel
Smith, finding his forces over matched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint
task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor also
demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the
attack against the government troops.

Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as
"ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large.

And this fellow Americans, is how the American Revolution began, April 20,
1775.

On July 4th, 1776 these same extremists signed the Declaration of
Independence, pledging to each other and their countrymen their lives,
fortunes, and sacred honor. Many of them lost everything, including their
families and their lives over the course of the next few years.

Lest we forget."

Sigh - back when Boston was truly strong - as opposed to the sheep filled city we now call "Boston Wrong".

“We had been hopelessly labouring to plough waste lands; to make nationality grow in a place full of the certainty of God… Among the tribes our creed could be only like the desert grass – a beautiful swift seeming of spring; which, after a day’s heat, fell dusty.”
― T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph

Well, I'm from Western Mass, and have to admit I've never liked the city or the politicians who ruin the rest of the state. The actions lately, especially after last year's marathon, haven't made me any more of a fan.

“We had been hopelessly labouring to plough waste lands; to make nationality grow in a place full of the certainty of God… Among the tribes our creed could be only like the desert grass – a beautiful swift seeming of spring; which, after a day’s heat, fell dusty.”
― T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph